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Journalists from various media outlets were assaulted on Friday night during a raid by the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) in Nairobi. The incident unfolded at a bar in Lavington, Nairobi, resulting in injured journalists who were subsequently taken to hospitals for medical attention, some also experiencing damage to their equipment.
The confrontation occurred as police officers, accompanied by journalists and Nacada officials, arrived at the bar associated with a politician around 11 pm to apprehend club managers and patrons allegedly engaging in banned shisha smoking. Upon spotting the journalists, the club’s bouncers, clad in black suits and red ties, aggressively attacked them, beating them and forcibly seizing their recording equipment.
The journalists sustained injuries and suffered losses of valuables and cash during the altercation. Notably, Nation Media photographer Boniface Bogita was stabbed twice in the ribs but is reported to be in stable condition. Jane Kibira, a journalist with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, was stabbed in the back, while Standard Media Group photographer Boniface Okendo and videographer Francis Odee were assaulted, with their cameras confiscated and broken.
Additional reinforcements were called, and police eventually gained control of the situation, arresting the bouncers who had fled, changed clothes, and sought refuge in the bar’s toilets to evade arrest. The operation also led to the recovery of a knife suspected to have been used in the stabbings.
Concerns from neighbors about the club’s loud music and lack of action despite complaints prompted the raid. Nacada Chief Executive Officer Antony Omerikwa and Head of Enforcement Nicholas Kosgei led the shisha crackdown, resulting in the arrest of several suspects and the seizure of shisha pots from the club.
In December 2023, Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale emphasized that Nacada should persist with raids, asserting that shisha has been illegal in Kenya since 2017. Duale insisted that law enforcement must continue targeting shisha establishments to uphold the law.
